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As President Barack Obama wrestles over what to do next in Afghanistan, there may be no one watching him more closely than junior House Democrats.
AP Photo

Walz, for instance, has signed onto a bill by Rep. Jim McGovern (Mass.), the most vocal critic among House Democrats of the Afghan war, calling on Obama to develop an “exit strategy” for getting U.S. forces out of the troubled country. The McGovern bill has 98 co-sponsors, including more than two dozen freshman and sophomore Democrats.

McGovern also released a bipartisan letter to Obama last week, urging the president to “reject any recommendation for a further escalation of U.S. military forces” in Afghanistan.

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), who like Walz was opposed to the Iraq war, said he signed onto the McGovern letter because boosting the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan isn’t the right solution.

“We squandered the opportunity to successfully destroy the Taliban by putting so much effort into Iraq,” Cohen said. “I don’t feel like additional troops is the answer.”

Another sophomore, Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H.), said Iraq was a distraction from Afghanistan, but she added that Afghanistan is in such disrepair that it’s time to reassess the American military mission there.

“I was absolutely appalled” at the conditions there, said Shea-Porter, who visited Afghanistan in May. “It actually makes Iraq look like Manhattan.”

Yet there is also realization among rank-and-file Democrats that the party could suffer huge political damage if, by ending the U.S. military campaign there, the Taliban reasserts control over all Afghanistan, providing a safe haven for al Qaeda to mount attack against America and the Western allies.

“This is a long, complicated struggle,” said Rep. Ron Klein (D-Fla.), who was behind a May 2008 letter slamming Bush for focusing all his attention on Iraq rather than Afghanistan and signed onto by 47 members of the 2006 Democratic class. But while some of his classmates now want the United States out of Afghanistan, Klein isn’t joining them.

Klein wants to get “a broader view of the terrorist threat in Afghanistan and Pakistan and Somalia and Yemen and other places” from the Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies before deciding whether he can back additional troops for the Afghan conflict.

Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.) has already made up his mind. “I think this is long overdue,” said Altmire. “There are some in the [Democratic] caucus who are concerned about the escalation of the war, but I think it’s the right thing to do. We need to this.”

GOP leaders have urged Obama to support McChrystal’s call for more troops, while at the same time calling on the White House to make the general available for congressional hearings, the same way the Bush administration approved the dramatic appearances of Petraeus and former U.S. ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker in September 2007.

House Democrats see nothing but pure political maneuvering in the Republicans’ pleas for Obama to support McChrystal’s recommendations. “They want the president to make a strategic decision, and no matter what decision he makes, they will come out against,” said a top House Democratic staffer.

Yet there is also realization among rank-and-file Democrats that the party could suffer huge political damage if, by ending the U.S. military campaign there, the Taliban reasserts control over all Afghanistan, providing a safe haven for al Qaeda to mount attack against America and the Western allies

During their campaigns, they adopted the mantra of Democratic leaders like Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) – that the real frontline in the “War on Terror” was Afghanistan, not Iraq, and Bush was “taking his eye off the ball” by pouring troops and money into Iraq.

But the funny thing is, it only took 10,000 U.S. troops to chase the Taliban from power and out of Afghanistan back in 2002.

NATO took over the operation in 2003, added 30,000 troops and managed to keep a lid on things until about 2006.

How long will democrats blame Bush for the fact that the Taliban/Al-Qaida picked up on the democrat "defeatist" attitudes a few years back and took a lesson from the North Vietnamese?

" As President Barack Obama wrestles over what to do next in Afghanistan"

Here's one for you to wrestle over.....What to do about all the terrorist we have living and plotting in the United States. Oh but in an effort to be sooo politically correct....we should NEVER think of profiling these rag-heads that roam freely in our country planning their next attack. The ACLU would just pitch a little hissy fit if we were to round up anyone remotely suspected of terrorism.

If the truth be known there are thousands of terrorist right in our own back yard, hell all they got to do is walk across the Mexican border and our government will set them up in business so they can blend right in and plot their next 9/11.

Klein wants to get “a broader view of the terrorist threat in Afghanistan and Pakistan and Somalia and Yemen and other places” from the Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies before deciding whether he can back additional troops for the Afghan conflict

Afghanistan lacks good cable TV

Many don't know Obama is now the leader of the world.

We should drop pamphlets in all the tribal regions explaining that Bush is gone.

I'm sure once they are informed of the change, the terrorists will pack up and return to their sand dune of origin.......

It is troublesome to know that while American lives are being lost or destroyed in Afganistan, our POTUS is taking a joy ride to help Chicago win the bid to host Olympics.

Obama did not have time to make a decision regarding Gen. Stanley McChrystal's request for more troops. He does have time for a weekly 6-hour golf outings and joy rides to Amsterdam. He does have time to have a beer with a racist professor and a cop. But he does not have time or desire to meet with McChrystal.

This is clearly NOT a priority for Mr. Obama. The Olympics, and HealthCare come first. Then after all the 1-2 Trillion is spent on healthcare, and it passes by Nov. ,,, (it this the 3rd deadline?) only then....Mr. Obama after making the troops wait for backup, will ask Congress to pass a surge Bill for 300-400,000 Troops into Afganhistan,,, at a cost of 2-4 Trillion dollars. Mr. Obama 's politics are in the way of doing what is right for Americans and for the Troops. So are his spending habits, and his focus is all over the place. ADD-ish.

It's all about Obama, all the time. The problem is, that;s the mistake LBJ did with VietNam. He lost.

I thought it was a bedrock principle of the democrats and Obama that we should be in Afghanistan. At least it was when they were running for office. It seems they've dropped any pretense of principle for political expediency, which is ever the case with democrats, particularly Obama. Obama doesn't know what to do, so he's ignoring it. Maybe they can get that pathetic slob from Florida - the one libs say has a big pair on health care, to employ that big pair to explain to the soldiers fighting in Afghanistan that Obama's busy with the Olympics for 2016 right now, and after that he'll be busy with some trumped up health care crisis. Afghanistan is just a tiny country, after all.

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama has heard from his top national security officials about their next step forward with Afghanistan but has not made any decisions.

A senior administration official says Obama spent three hours in the White House Situation Room on Wednesday and pushed his team for specifics and details. The official, who was involved in the session, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive material.

The official says no decisions about increased troop levels were discussed; instead, the group focused on what the goals in that war-torn country should be.

The top military official for Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, has pushed for more troops. But Obama has delayed any decision for another meeting.

Where are all the libs? This is one they don't want to touch. It would make them, ah, liars, now wouldn't it? I hope the left has a good memory, because there's a lot of lies they're going to have to remember to try to cover their butts.

“>I was hopeful,” Mr. Vidal says of Mr Obama. “He was the most intelligent person we’ve had in that position for a long time. But he’s inexperienced. He has a total inability to understand military matters. He’s acting as if Afghanistan is the magic talisman: solve that and you solve terrorism.”

wonder what Obama isn't going to do about IEDs and EFPs being provided to the insurgents by Iran's republican guards?

These bombs have killed quite a few good people in Iraq, and they are now killing Americans every day in Afghanistan -- even if the press is burying the casualty reports.

There's a lot of lip service being paid about Iran's future nukes and not a peep about bombs coming from Iran killing Americans right now.

Bibi warned against not having IRAN de-fanged so they couldn't bite. That was months ago and he was right. What is the deal with the RUSH Obama did on the STIM BILL and the rush to save lives on HealthCare,,,, but when it comes to bombs, wars, conflicts and such, good brave folks are dying, and Obama doesn't listen to experienced politicians and leaders. Like Bibi. Israel has been there, done that and lost lives. Deal with Iran, and deal with Afghanistan first, healthcare can wait.

We must fair to POTUS, between all his interviews, appearing on David Letterman and hopping over to Copanhagen, playing five hours of golf every Sunday , HOW COULD WE EXPECT HIM TO SIT DOWN WITH HIS GENERAL AND MAKE A DECISION ON AFGHANISTAN?

This bunch in Washington are a bunch of cowards they send our young to be nothing more than targets if Obama cant stand up to these politations and send in more help then he needs to bring our military home this bunch of cowards are only worried about getting reelected. Biden went to iraq three times to visit his son and now hes home how many other military familys got to visit their love ones its called only if you are a crooked politation.

Doesnot anyone see Obama has a one track mind .All Obama knows to do is campaign and the paper reported this morning that Machile stated when shes happy than the whole family is happy so thats one of his main jobs keeping her happy.are go thats a full time job so now we know why they spend so much time traveling as she goes first class and has people waiting on all her whems.and since he is a one term president she has to get all she can now.greedy greedy free loaders.....